WHY I DID THIS: In South Africa thousands of children's parents have died of AIDS, or are sick with TB. These children have a bleak future: no money, no education, no family, nothing.

In Kinshasa (Congo) there are 25,000 children as young as 5 living rough on the streets. The boys struggle to survive and suffer violent abuse. The girls are forced into prostitution, are raped often, are violently attacked, get AIDS,  and die young. 

But you can help! On Sunday Sep 27th I ran the Robin Hood Half Marathon to raise money for these children !!

Your donation will help the children to:

- get off the street

- be reunited with someone in their extended family

- restart school and get an education

- learn a skill (mechanic, electrician, tailor/ dressmaker, builder)

- start a small business of their own

- grow their own food

- receive psychological support to cope with the traumas suffered

- HAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE ! 

PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN. Everything you donate will help to transform a child's life. For example each year it costs:

£20 to train a family how to grow their own food

£30 to teach simple technology skills (rainwater storage, solar cooking)

£25 for a school uniform and equipment (books, paper, pens)

£40 for a social worker to support a child

£40 to train a teenager a trade skill

£25 to support an adult living with HIV

£80 to resource a survivors' support group

Everything you give will go directly to help these children. Gift Aid will be automatically collected without any hassle for you. 

Thanks for your help!

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THEMBI'S STORY

Thembi is 8. She never knew her Dad; her Mum became HIV+ and was very sick. The family were very poor, often hungry, and unable to pay the school fees. Then her Mum got TB and was close to dying. It was a desperate situation. A charity worker found them and:

- provided an emergency food parcel

- got the documents needed to get a monthly Government grant

- negotiated with the school & got Maria back into school

- got her mother a regular supply of anti-retro viral medication (& ever since her mother has been in good health)

- taught the family how to grow their own food all year round

- helped them store roof rainwater for drinking & washing

- showed them how to cook with a solar oven

- helped Thembi to go to a suvivors' group for support & encouragement

JORAPHA'S STORY

Jorapha is 15. His Dad had a job but then died. His mother was left all alone with the children. Their house was on land that washed away every time it rained and soon the house was gone and the family had to live in a small hut. The mother, in terrible poverty, could not feed her children or pay school fees. The children dropped out of school, were always hungry, & Jorapha left home to live in the streets hoping to find some something to eat. A charity worker found him in the streets and:

- brought him back to his mother who was overjoyed to see him

- gave his Mum a micro-credit and helped her to start a small business that enabled her to feed her children

- got him back into school (where he has done really well ever since)

- rebuilt the family house

- planted grasses on the hill to protect against further erosion

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.